IMPACT - Innovative Materials Design and Monitoring of Power Plant to Accommodate Carbon Capture

The key goal of IMPACT is to improve the efficiency of future steel-based coal-fired power plant, and hence reduce carbon emissions, by:
(1) Improved high temperature capability of welded thick section high alloy steel components in steam plant (boiler, pipework, turbine) by development of innovative materials and processes, including upscaling from laboratory development, a pilot commercial scale "MARBN" steel cast, and a demonstration welded boiler tubing product;
(2) Better understood, monitored and controlled performance of these welded components to maximise efficiency while avoiding premature weld Type IV cracking as found on current high alloy steel plant;
(3) Novel advanced in-service monitoring techniques to enable plant to operate at highest temperatures and challenging design conditions without prejudice to safety: creep strain monitoring to warn against plant failure risk, semi-nondestructive miniature disc sampling and testing to identify materials at risk;
(4) Improved component design capabilities linked to whole-life plant condition monitoring.